Events, Trade Shows & Attractions (MICE)

Orlando, Fla. – September 18, 2026 -- The International Luxury Hotel Association (ILHA) has confirmed new sessions for INSPIRE 2026, its flagship luxury hospitality conference set for December 15-17 at the JW Marriott Bonnet Creek Resort & Spa in Orlando.

Executives from Nobu, Microsoft and Honeywell will address AI's actual return on investment

Rodney Linville, Global Head of Information Technology at Nobu Hospitality, will join Shane O'Flaherty, Global Director of Travel, Transportation and Hospitality at Microsoft, and Neha Jaitpal, Global General Manager of Honeywell's Hospitality Vertical, for a session titled "AI at Scale: Building the Business Case for Hospitality." The panel, moderated by ILHA President Barak Hirschowitz, will examine where AI deployments are delivering measurable returns versus where adoption has stalled, and what operators need to move projects from pilot programs to full-scale rollout across teams.

Las Vegas -- IGT has appointed Adam Chibib as Chief Financial Officer effective September 18, 2026, subject to regulatory approvals, succeeding Fabio Celadon in a leadership transition tied to the gaming technology firm's push for stronger cash flow and operating discipline.

Chibib arrives with a track record of six successful exits across public and private equity-backed companies

Most recently CFO of Raptor Technologies, which Warburg Pincus acquired in January 2026 after the company's transformation under Thoma Bravo and JMI Equity ownership, Chibib brings more than three decades of financial and operational leadership. His earlier roles include financial leadership positions at Self Financial, NetSpend and several technology companies.

London – – September 18, 2026 -- Travel + Leisure, a People Inc. brand, will host its sold-out World's Best Summit outside New York for the first time, staging the two-day B2B event at The Dorchester in London on October 27-28, 2026.

Sold-out event marks first international expansion beyond three annual New York editions

The London edition, curated by Travel + Leisure editor in chief Jacqueline Gifford, will bring together travel executives, advisors, and industry leaders to discuss media and AI, hospitality design, and luxury travel trends. The venue, Dorchester Collection's flagship property, recently underwent a renovation.

Belgrade – September 17, 2026 -- Former world number one Jelena Janković has been appointed Global Ambassador of EXPO 2027 Belgrade, becoming the first Serbian to join the event's ambassador team.

Janković will promote Serbia and EXPO 2027 on the international stage ahead of the event

The tennis star reached the top of the WTA rankings in 2008, won 15 WTA titles, reached the US Open final, and claimed a Wimbledon mixed doubles title. She represented Serbia at four Olympic Games.

Janković joins a roster of Global Ambassadors that includes Usain Bolt, Jackie Chan and Lin Dan

Organizers say her appointment reflects sport's capacity to cross borders and build international engagement ahead of the Belgrade event.

Janković said she was honored to be chosen and noted that for this occasion she would not need to travel to represent Serbia, as international visitors would instead come to the country.

Queens, N.Y. – September 17, 2026 -- Resorts World New York City and Resorts World Catskills sold out a Labor Day weekend headlined by comedians Tracy Morgan, Chris Distefano and Deon Cole, marking the first major entertainment run in Queens since the property opened New York City's first live table games in April 2026.

Comedy headliners drew sold-out crowds across two New York properties

Chris Distefano, a Ridgewood native, played a hometown set at Resorts World New York City. Tracy Morgan headlined Resorts World Catskills on Saturday and Resorts World New York City on Sunday, while Deon Cole closed the Catskills weekend, which also featured fireworks, live music, DJ sets and food trucks over three days.

Indianapolis – September 17, 2026 -- Picklr Keystone Crossing will host Special Olympics Indiana's inaugural pickleball state tournament on Sunday, September 13, with 82 athletes from across the state competing for gold, silver, and bronze medals starting at 9:15 a.m.

Tournament follows 2025 training clinic that drew 36 athletes and 27 coaches

Picklr Keystone Crossing hosted Special Olympics Indiana's first pickleball training clinic in 2025, attracting 36 athletes from 12 counties and 27 coaches from 14 counties as participants prepared for the sport's debut competitive season in 2026.

New York – September 16, 2026 -- FanDuel has been named the first Official and Exclusive Sportsbook and Prediction Market Partner of Real App, integrating live odds and contextual betting markets directly into the social sports platform's real-time feeds starting with the 2026 NFL season.

Real App brings 1.5 million monthly active users to the FanDuel integration

Real App, built around live play-by-play tracking and fan conversation, counts over 1.5 million monthly active users and 1.1 million daily active users across 18 leagues including the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB and WNBA. Users on the platform have logged 4.8 billion minutes in the past 12 months, with concurrent users surpassing 250,000 during close games and more than 70% of monthly active users returning on major game days.

Limassol – – September 16, 2026 -- NuxGame, a B2B iGaming software provider founded in 2018, will host operators, affiliates and partners at Stand A326 in Hall 1 of SBC Summit Lisbon 2026, running Sept. 29 to Oct. 1 at the Feira Internacional de Lisboa.

NuxGame sponsors the summit's Networking Lounge in Hall 1

The company's stand doubles as the event's Networking Lounge, giving operators direct access to NuxGame's product and commercial teams for one-on-one sessions across all three days.

New York – September 16, 2026 -- Lucas Bols named Rebecca Ardman of Boston and Michael Sanz of Los Angeles as the East and West Coast winners of the 2026 BOLS Cocktail Battle, securing both bartenders a spot at Cocktail Fever, the brand's global bartender event in Amsterdam.

Two US bartenders qualify for Amsterdam's Cocktail Fever program

Ardman won with SPF-U, a layered cocktail blending BOLS Banana Liqueur and BOLS Blue Curacao with Partida Tequila, Frangelico, lemon and vanilla, topped with pineapple-cinnamon foam. Sanz took the West Coast title with Fire and Ice, combining BOLS Blue Curacao and BOLS Elderflower Liqueur with gin, lemon, lavender bitters and chile-spiced hot honey.

Both drinks were judged on flavor, originality, technical execution, visual presentation and storytelling, built around this year's "Neon Nights" competition theme.

New York and Hong Kong – September 16, 2026 -- CSTS Enterprises and ShanKai Sports have formed CSTS Hospitality, a joint venture targeting premium sports hospitality and event experiences across Asia and global markets, tied to properties including FIFA World Cup 2026 and UEFA EURO 2028.

New venture combines CSTS global reach with ShanKai's China market access

The joint venture pairs CSTS Enterprises' capabilities in international sports, entertainment, travel technology and experiential marketing with ShanKai Sports' hospitality expertise in China, including sponsorship development and talent management. ShanKai Sports, founded in 2009, is one of China's leading international sports management firms, offering sponsorship, hospitality, sports travel, event operations, media and consulting services.